child labor - the ignored truth on the pakistani labor market by yousuf zahid
DESCRIPTION
Skilled or unskilled, an all-adult labor force in Pakistan does exist in the sectors of agriculture, industries and services. Regardless of how implementation and enforcement is carried out in Pakistan, the labor force functions under the rules of the labor policy and all aspects are governed through various legislation that came into being from time to time.Then why do we continue to use children as part of this labor force and despite knowing the fact that it is the ethically and morally wrong thing to do, why do we close our eyes and not give it the priority it silently screams for?It is acknowledged that life in Pakistan is very different for the masses. Unemployment and price instability wreck havoc in the life of the common man. But why should the children suffer and be deprived of the time they deserve to spend in school and to learn about life and not get shoved into main stream practical life with forcefulness?Despite nodding to the demands of ILO, UNICEF and other world bodies which aggressively insist Pakistan to eliminate child labor, the misery continues to exist and flourish. Is it just poverty and lack of education that serves as the barrier or does the psyche of the Pakistani nation needs to be re-engineered? Is there something wrong with the culture of Pakistan that has altered beyond recognition or have the traditions evolved to the extent of fueling selfish mindsets?There are stories however, which motivate and rejuvenate the spirit, such as the Sialkot success story but approximately 10 million child laborers are still out there in Pakistan.This paper attempts to connect the dots. They do connect but it appears that the system is going in round circles basically due to lack of sheer will. The problem has been identified. The knowledge to solve it is there. Why the waiting game then?TRANSCRIPT
Eyes Wide Shut
Child Labor: The Ignored Truth on
the Pakistani Labor Market
by Yousuf Zahid
2
Executive Summary
Skilled or unskilled, an all-adult labor force in Pakistan does exist in the sectors of
agriculture, industries and services. Regardless of how implementation and enforcement
is carried out in Pakistan, the labor force functions under the rules of the labor policy and
all aspects are governed through various legislation that came into being from time to
time.
Then why do we continue to use children as part of this labor force and despite knowing
the fact that it is the ethically and morally wrong thing to do, why do we close our eyes
and not give it the priority it silently screams for?
It is acknowledged that life in Pakistan is very different for the masses. Unemployment
and price instability wreck havoc in the life of the common man. But why should the
children suffer and be deprived of the time they deserve to spend in school and to learn
about life and not get shoved into main stream practical life with forcefulness?
Despite nodding to the demands of ILO, UNICEF and other world bodies which
aggressively insist Pakistan to eliminate child labor, the misery continues to exist and
flourish. Is it just poverty and lack of education that serves as the barrier or does the
psyche of the Pakistani nation needs to be re-engineered? Is there something wrong with
the culture of Pakistan that has altered beyond recognition or have the traditions evolved
to the extent of fueling selfish mindsets?
There are stories however, which motivate and rejuvenate the spirit, such as the Sialkot
success story but approximately 10 million child laborers are still out there in Pakistan.
This paper attempts to connect the dots. They do connect but it appears that the system is
going in round circles basically due to lack of sheer will. The problem has been
identified. The knowledge to solve it is there. Why the waiting game then?
3
Contents
Part 1
Problem Statement …………………………………………………….5
Background …………………………………………………………….6
Purpose …………………………………………………………...12
Significance …………………………………………………………...13
End of Part 1 Note …………………………………………………...14
Part 2
Labor Market of Pakistan
A. Labor Market - A Simple Definition? …………………...16
B. Labor Rights in the Constitution of Pakistan …………...17
C. Economic Structure of Pakistan …………………………...18
D. Employment Trends in Pakistan …………………………...20
E. Labor Force Survey of Pakistan 2010-2011 …………...21
F. Labor Policy of Pakistan 2010 …………………………...22
G. Labor Unions …………………………………………...23
H. Curbing Unemployment – Efforts by the Government …...25
I. Facing the Truth …………………………………………...27
J. The Message from World Bank …………………………...28
End of Part 2 Note …………………………………………………...29
4
Part 3
Eyes Wide Shut
K. Enter the World of Child Labor …………………………...31
L. ILO Convention No. 182 …………………………………...32
M. The State-of-Affairs …………………………………...33
N. The Child Labor Survey of Pakistan 1996 …………………...34
O. The Policy Sayeth …………………………………………...35
P. But Action, There Is …………………………………...37
Q. Just Do It – The Case of Sialkot and Nike …………...39
R. Win-Win Situation; will there ever be one? …………...43
End of Part 3 Note …………………………………………………...44
Even the Root Cause has Roots …………………………………………...45
Recommendation & Conclusion …………………………………………...48
Bibliography …………………………………………………………………...49
5
Part 1
6
Problem Statement
Is it absolutely imperative for a child to engage in (any kind of) labor and become a bread
earner at a tender age, while intentionally or unintentionally missing the typical joys of
childhood including innocence and in doing so bypasses the social, moral and birth right
to acquire education?
Fact
More than 5,000 children from the age groups of 5-9, 10-14 and 15-17 years are working
in the tanneries of Kasur1.
1 ILO-IPEC TBP Project 2004, BLS Child Labor in Tanneries by Akida Management Consultants in
collaboration with FBS, http://www.ilo.org/ipecinfo/product/viewResult.do?page=1
7
Background
An impulsive answer will ‘no’, ‘never’ if it is asked of an educated, middle class city
dweller to send a child to work in a factory. But if one thinks deep and understand both
sides of the mindsets, priorities and systems of our society and government then
surprising answers will be heard.
The problem of child labor is not restricted to Pakistan but is in fact a global dilemma
that is even prevalent in Brazil, China, India and Indonesia.
Maplecroft Child Labor Index- Global Map of Risk 20102
In order to comprehend the intensity and significance of this predicament, multiple
perspectives from within our nation and that of the world have to be understood to the
core and without bias.
2 http://human-rights.unglobalcompact.org/dilemmas/child-labour/
8
A dramatized (but true) brief first-contact with these perspectives is presented hereunder:
I, the father: What goes around is not of importance. We have to work because
we have to eat. Please leave.
I, the employer: I don’t know. Maybe it’s right. Maybe it’s not. I require labor. I
need to cut costs. They need work. So be it. It’s not a sin. What do
you expect me to do? Shut down?
I, the legislator: Yes. I know. It’s a serious issue. The situation has improved but it
will take time. We have effective laws and we will implement
them in totality.
I, the judiciary: We have laws and they will be enforced irrespective of everything.
I, the media: Our responsibility is to highlight the issue, only.
I, the civil society: Absolutely. We must act now to save the children. They are the
future of Pakistan. The government must perform its role in true
spirit.
I, the by-stander: I am not affected but if everybody is backing it then I will too.
I, the oblivious: Please leave.
I, the world: Pakistan must act immediately to curb and then eradicate child
labor. Pakistan repeatedly ratifies agreements of UNICEF and the
ILO but the country has to do more. We will aid Pakistan in order
to put its economy on the track towards prosperity. Half hearted
efforts and inconsistency will force us to discourage and ban
Pakistani goods.
I, the child: My hands? Here, look.
9
At first glance, emotionally charged as it may seem but this is the picture that we get to
see through media, hearsay and initial research. On one hand, this depiction is quite
accurate for it summarizes the state-of-affairs in Pakistan and on the other there’s a flip
side to it with a twist of irony, which simply and silently declares that ‘the government
could have done it all if it wanted to’.
It does not imply that a finger is being pointed. These perspectives and ones similar to
these definitely exist and they merely translate into an equation which has the power of a
slap-on-the-face:
Legislation+Curriculum/Education+Implementation+Monitoring = Parents of tomorrow+True upbringing
The skeptic may discard the idea as it appears to be utopian but in reality these precise
steps had been followed in many western nations including the eastern economic
powerhouses of China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea.
In retrospect, these eastern countries had been buried in dire economic situations due to
war and inherent illiteracy but over a period of approximately 50 years, these nations or
rather their governments turned themselves around towards an unbelievable all-round
success. Agreed that the individual also has to make an effort but then that only happens
when you have an effective, efficient, sincere and dedicated leadership.
The Atlantic3 in its article on child labor in Pakistan had analyzed the issue through
multiple perspectives. Some (abridged) stories from the article are presented here.
Sadique the Employer
Wasan Pura is a village in Punjab where Sadique, owner of a carpet weaving unit, woos
the thirty-year-old father (a brick worker) of young under-ten boy. Sadique plays his hand
with utmost mastery and more than convinces the father of the many advantages his son
will have as a weaver.
3 Atlantic Magazine, Child Labor in Pakistan by Jonathan Silvers, February 1996, USA,
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1996/02/child-labor-in-pakistan/4660/?single_page=true
10
The boy’s name is Nadeem who is praised by Sadique for his bright mind and ambition.
The carpet master tells the father that his son will learn far more practical skills in six
months at the loom than he would in six years of school and that as his skills improve so
will the pay.
Sadique is an expert with these words. Like scores of other manufacturers, he recruits
children regularly and prefer boys of ages seven to ten. According to him boys of this age
are ideal because they have energy; are quick and don’t tire easily; above all these boys
are obedient and will work for long hours.
Asma the Mother
In rural Pakistan, children are generally deprived of health care, sanitation or education.
Disbelieving as it may be but these children are also as starved for affection as for food.
Once they reach an age when they can begin to grasp the basic understanding of their
lives, their parents begin the teaching process. These children are taught to make their
path by giving sacrifices and to travel if necessary, to work and live a life that’s their
destiny.
Asma is a villager from Sheikhpura who bonder her children, five in all, to masters in
other villages. She says that she prepared her children at the age of three to work for their
family. She constantly would remind them that they would be bonded once they reach the
age of five. Eventually, when it was time, her children were ready and left happily, she
informed.
Faiz the Hauler
Nine years old, spirited and working as a hauler for three years. Faiz has two years of
schooling but opted for the donkey-cart on attractive lease terms. He works alone and
spends a typical day hunting for jobs that leads him to shuttle between six villages with
and without the haul. The work is hard and the days are long with an average of sixty
miles a week but enough is earned for him and the donkey.
11
Faiz has the mind of an entrepreneur and that’s the key to his success. Intentionally, he
charges a tenth of what the adult competition does. According to him, in time, the more
goods he hauls, the stronger he will get and the more he will be able to charge.
-
This is not even the tip-of-the-iceberg but it clearly defines the swept-under-the-rug crisis
that receives hard-core procrastination from the ones who have the authority and
resources to do something serious about it.
Today, the mechanisms which govern lives in Pakistan and the basic human nature are
two separate things. Subsequently, at day’s end, the child continues to suffer.
It is a molestation of the ultimate kind.
Fact
An estimated 8,584 children are working in the glass bangle industry of Hyderabad4,
most of them in 10-14 years age group.
4 ILO-IPEC TBP Project 2004, BLS on Child Labor in Glass Bangles Industry by Akida Management
Consultants in collaboration with FBS, http://www.ilo.org/ipecinfo/product/viewResult.do?page=1
12
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is not to change overnight, the deeply-rooted, misused and
incorrect systems in Pakistan towards something that is ‘good and right’. The purpose is
not to come up with a radical game plan that would begin a chain-reaction in the right
direction, regardless of everything. The purpose is also not to criticize or even re-
emphasize on something which we are already well aware of.
The idea is to interpret the inner thoughts of the person on both sides of the coin – the
labor and the employer. To understand what constitutes the system and to understand its
mechanics in order to neutrally evaluate the issue of child labor in Pakistan and as to why
it continues to exist.
The intention is to accept the bitter pill of truth by looking through the eyes of each
person standing at each direction; to accept the emotions and the logic and
acknowledging that both are correct.
This paper will attempt to touch the roots, and which could be grasped, and pulled out but
that’s easier said than done.
Like it or not, child labor in Pakistan, is here to stay, at least in our lifetime. No doubt
that it’s a social evil but then sometimes even evil justifies itself to make its room in the
world.
Fact
The coal mines of Chakwal5, besides adult labor force also has strength of more than 350
under 18 children.
5 ILO-IPEC TBP Project 2004, BLS on Child Labor in Coal Mines Industry by Akida Management
Consultants in collaboration with FBS, http://www.ilo.org/ipecinfo/product/viewResult.do?page=1
13
Significance
One may ask ‘so what?’ because enough has been said and written on this subject and
with no conclusive solution in sight. Right, because the divine gift of ‘free-will’ is simply
not being used to make that one simple effort.
For most, this is a subject that is intertwined with human needs and emotions; with
bureaucracy and red tape; with all imaginable motives; with disregard for all kinds of
values; with a complete lack of the essence of the human mind; with the mandatory
revolutions of the economic wheel; with politics; with the aspiration for wealth and fame
and with I-the-writer and you-the-reader forgetting all about in a month from now. But
then again, is it?
This study has a few but very powerful benefits; benefits that will get the gears churning
inside the minds of two types of people; benefits that will not only help in identifying and
re-arranging the various dimensions of the Pakistani labor market and the larger socio-
economic set up but will also excavate deep enough which then will be the first step
towards achieving a sense of satisfaction in our one single life.
That first step will be taken by the teachers and students in our educational institutes; all
it’s going to take is some paper and a pen; an effort to write and speak for those who do
not have a voice and to set the momentum to get things done for a change. It is the right
thing to do but what’s of critical importance is what has to be written.
Fact
According to a recent report, 10 million children serve as child labor in Pakistan. 300,000 of them being in Sindh6.
6 The Express Tribune, November 10, 2010, http://tribune.com.pk/story/75061/ten-million-engaged-in-
child-labour-in-pakistan/
14
End of Part 1
Note
So far this paper has established the grounds to analyze the subject of child labor in
Pakistan. Before arriving on the issue under focus, the labor market of Pakistan and its
dynamics will be reviewed together with the overall economic picture of the country in
order to establish the link with child labor which the reader will be able to grasp and
connect.
In Part 2, employment trends, labor surveys, government policies, role of labor unions
and government efforts will be discussed briefly together with the author’s perceptive
opinion. The link will be formed between each aspect and that will eventually lead to the
root cause.
15
Part 2
16
Labor Market of Pakistan
A. Labor Market - A Simple Definition?
Before entering the domain of labor market, a refresher on what it’s all about is
presented. A straightforward description is that of a market where two parties, namely
workers and employers interact to determine wages based upon conditions of
employment and competition scales.
Labor markets have a vast scope and in contemporary times have become highly
segmented. Qualifications, skills and geographical locations all influence labor markets
on a national or international level.
17
B. Labor Rights in the Constitution of Pakistan
Pakistan’s constitution protects the rights of labor in its true essence.
a. Article 11 of the Constitution prohibits all forms of slavery, forced labor and child
labor.
b. Article 17 provides for a fundamental right to exercise the freedom of association
and the right to form unions;
c. Article 18 proscribes the right of its citizens to enter upon any lawful profession
or occupation and to conduct any lawful trade or business;
d. Article 25 lays down the right to equality before the law and prohibition of
discrimination on the grounds of sex alone;
e. Article 37(e) makes provision for securing just and humane conditions of work,
ensuring that children and women are not employed in vocations unsuited to their
age or sex, and for maternity benefits for women in employment.
Enforcement of these articles7 is another ball game altogether. Not intending to sound
political; its free human-will and not political that ensures implementation.
7 Understanding Labor Issues in Pakistan, Briefing Paper 20, Page 7, PILDAT
18
C. Economic Structure of Pakistan
Protection through the constitution is one thing, where Pakistan stands today and how
does it all affect the labor market is another. Economic highlights8 are presented here
under:
Population: 187,342,721 (July 2011 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 35.4%
15-64 years: 60.4%
65 years and over: 4.2% (2011 est.)
Education expenditures: 2.7% of GDP (2009)
GDP (purchasing power parity): $464.9 billion (2010 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: Agr: 43% Ind: 20.3% Ser: 36.6% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate: 15.4% (2010 est.)
Population below poverty line: 24% (FY05/06 est.)
Revenues: $24.72 billion
Taxes and other revenues: 14.1% of GDP (2010 est.)
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-): -6.3% of GDP (2010 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 13.9% (2010 est.)
Industrial production growth rate: 4.6% (2010 est.)
Exports: $21.39 billion (2010 est.)
Imports: $32.21 billion (2010 est.)
Debt - external: $56.13 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
8 CIA World Fact Book, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/geos/countrytemplate_pk.html
19
In a nut-shell, Pakistan’s economy is anything but right. In the grip of stagflation, with
rising inflation, growing unemployment, decreasing FDI, increasing debts, stagnant tax to
GDP ratio, low public sector development expenditures, increasing poverty and
decreasing industrialization; the days of early 21st century economic boom are fiercely
missed. Exports and reserves are however rising as compared to the negative trends
observed since 2008 onwards.
Moreover, the long term economic strategy that steers a nation towards prosperity still
seems to exist on paper and its implementation is either mismanaged or is simply not
there e.g. investment in capital goods is neglected, national savings are not given priority,
education sector remains ignored and technology is still a far cry in some important
private and public entities.
At the end of the day, unpredictable political instability and especially the rising internal
strife with terrorists has cornered the economy in a no-way-out scenario. However, a
way-out always there but that’s a debate that’s better left for another day.
The repercussions of Pakistan’s economic fix are felt directly by the labor market. The
people are willing to work but the employers are not willing to hire them. The employers
are also in favor of letting go of the ones they already have. Call it down-sizing or the
more polite right-sizing, more and more people of all age groups and gender are now
becoming idle. Purchasing power of all and sundry has been badly affected.
Speaking of purchasing power, the much publicized and criticized Benazir Income
Support Program9 (BISP) is now raising major questions that remain unanswered. BISP
in the last fiscal year had increased allocation to Rs. 70 billion for 5 million families;
aiming to cover 40% of the population below the poverty line and that has a monthly
income of Rs. 5,000 or less. The Rs. 1,000 transfer payment through BISP may enhance
the monthly income by 20% but considering all common sense, would it make even a
notable difference to a family of six members lest a significant one?
9 http://www.bisp.gov.pk/
20
D. Employment Trends in Pakistan
But some good work is being carried out that at least provides a clear picture of the state-
of-affairs unlike the no-hope outlook from Pakistan’s economic figures.
In 2008, exclusive reports10 had been developed on the employment trends in Pakistan by
the Lab our Market Information and Analysis Unit at the Ministry of Labor in
collaboration with UNDP and ILO.
Separate reports had been compiled for youth and women and for full and productive
employment and decent work.
These reports had focused on eleven key indicators and the important findings are as
under:
1. The unemployment rate of youth has nearly halved over a period of seven years.
2. It takes the youth a long time to search for a job; more than six months to be
precise.
3. More than half of the youth labor force has either one year of education.
4. Employment to population ratio has steadily increased, especially for women.
5. A likely abundance of low quality jobs exist in the country.
6. Six out of ten persons are vulnerable i.e. “at risk of lacking decent work”.
7. The labor productivity growth is very low.
8. Newly employed persons have limited options and are forced to take less
productive and less paying work.
Approximately three years after 2008 and considering all common knowledge (pertaining
to e.g. inflation and unemployment), its quite safe to assume that the situation has been
deteriorated further specifically viz-a-viz point 1, 2, 5 and 8; all of which are witnessing a
consistent negative increase. In economics, each and every parameter and variable has a
direct or indirect affect on each other. The macro-economic tools to control the economy
then appear to be an effort in futility.
10
Pakistan Employment Trends 2008 Youth, Pakistan Employment Trends 2008 MDG Target 1B, http://www.lmis.gov.pk/publications/
21
E. Labor Force Survey of Pakistan 2010-2011
A key objective of macro-economics is to attain a high level of employment. The
government facilitates in providing job opportunities but the sole responsibility lies with
the private sector. The synergistic relation with the government and private sector is not
evident when it comes to creating employment.
The new Labor Survey of Pakistan11 indicated unemployment at 6% compared to 5.6% of
the last fiscal year. Economists as a matter of fact know that the unemployment figures
are inaccurate. Even the government acknowledges this reality that actual unemployment
figures are way too high. A recent interview of a seasoned statistician and teacher at a
leading university disclosed the age-old truth that most of the important indicators
compiled by Federal Bureau of Statistics are fabricated.
Still, unemployment highlights of the survey are presented here under:
Total workforce: 57.3 million
Total unemployed: 3.4 million
Rural areas: Decline by a fraction over previous year
Urban areas: Increase by 1.6%
Manufacturing sector: Increase in share of labor force by 0.5%
A paradox has been observed in the survey results. At one end unemployment in urban
areas has increased by 1.6% and on the other the manufacturing sector has witnessed a
rise in share of labor force by 0.5%. The unemployment rise could safely be linked to e.g.
the energy crisis in most of the cities which has forced the businesses to either lay-off
people or to go slow on recruitment due to rising costs but if the industries in the same
cities are increasing their share of labor and are hiring again then the only hypothesis
could be that the industries have found a way to avoid or lessen the effect of the power
shortage.
11
http://www.statpak.gov.pk/fbs/content/labour-force-survey-2010-11, The Express Tribune, August 2, 2011, http://tribune.com.pk/story/222455/labour-force-survey-2011-official-unemployment-rate-at-6/
22
F. Labor Policy of Pakistan 2010
The labor survey sets the ground for the government to develop the labor policy. The 6th
labor policy was released in 2010 and had included all the dimensions of a well-rounded
thoughtful national policy. It covers all aspects including sensitive issues such as wages
(increased to Rs. 7,000 for unskilled workers), women empowerment and gender
equality, contractual workers, bonded labor and child labor.
Workers’ rights in reality, however, remain intentionally neglected because companies do
not implement labor laws in totality and in spirit. So how can there by implementation of
the labor policy and its laws if there is no recognition of workers’ rights?
The minimum wage of Rs. 7,000 per month is not enough to sustain a family of four
persons which in present times require a monthly income of not less than Rs. 12,000/-12.
All over the country, most of the workers are remitted less than Rs. 5,000. This happens
because the rights of a worker are simply not recognized. Subsequently, implementation
of laws even by the bureaucracy will remain at a standstill. An intangible and
immeasurable cause for lack of implementation of labor laws lies in the bitter fact that
nearly all the business community and bureaucracy in particular harbors a feudal mindset
that declares workers should not be empowered with real rights.
It is no hidden fact that Pakistan has a political environment of corruption and nepotism
which therefore makes it convenient for the big boys of industry to influence labor laws.
An example13 of which is the legislation in 2002 that had permitted companies to hire
unlimited temporary/contractual workers. 90% of the workers at the Lipton Tea division
of Unilever Pakistan are temporary employees who are not entitled job benefits e.g.
related to health and have no job security and since most of them are not registered
workers therefore social security remains inaccessible as well.
Bonded and child labor? They exist significantly.
12
Interview, Khalid Mahmood, Labor Education Foundation in Pakistan by Evelyn Holt of International Labor Rights Forum, October 14, 2009 http://laborrightsblog.typepad.com/international_labor_right/ 13
-do-
23
G. Labor Unions
It is the right of workers to create a labor union. Unionization gives the workers the
power to safeguard their interests and rights through collective bargaining agreements.
Unions obtain market power through a legal monopoly of providing labor services to
various companies and industries14. But in Pakistan, despite the fact that there are
approximately 8,000 registered unions15, only three possess an all national representation.
The rest are limited in their scope of services at factories, localized and not but the least
divided over vested interests.
Wikipedia16 has mentions 10 major labor unions in Pakistan but the most proactive and
largest is perhaps is Pakistan Workers’ Federation17 with a member ship of nearly one
million workers and with more than 400 affiliate unions.
A wide range of restrictions hinder the activities and effectiveness of union organizers.
This is one the reasons why the unionization rate in Pakistan is low; 10% in the industrial
and 5% in the total labor force.
Gone are the days when unions ruled supreme. Legislation has sprung up barriers such as
the Essential Services Maintenance Act for the petroleum sector in Pakistan which
prohibits strikes, reduces a worker’s right to switch jobs and severely limits options of a
fired worker. It does however allow collective bargaining.
Although the government has ratified 34 ILO conventions relating to human rights,
workers' rights and working conditions but the story does not end at these endorsements.
The key word again is the subsequent enforcement and implementation of policies and
laws.
14
Economics 18e, Samuelson & Nordhaus, Page 254, Chapter 13 15
Interview, Khalid Mahmood of LEF Pakistan by Evelyn Holt of ILRF, October 14, 2009 16
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_trade_unions 17
http://www.pwf.org.pk/about_pwf.htm
24
A declining trend has been observed when it comes to unionization and workers
obtaining membership. The inability to twist a company’s arm through strikes has
significantly weakened the unions’ muscle power. But this doesn’t mean that unions in
Pakistan are becoming redundant. Besides the generally accepted and true notions that
unions manage to increase employment and raise wages, there are other areas in which
unions like e.g. Pakistan Workers’ Federation strive to achieve multiple objectives such
as sustaining worker welfare, improving of skills and working conditions.
The truth18 however remains that of entire work force in Pakistan, a mere 2.8 percent are
unionized and less than 1 percent work under the collective-bargaining agreements.
It all boils down to the all-powerful feudalistic mindset of the society and with no land
reforms enforced till to-date, workers’ rights continue to be pushed aside through weak
laws, little or no implementation of laws and the privatization trends.
18
Interview, Khalid Mahmood of LEF Pakistan by Evelyn Holt of ILRF, October 14, 2009
25
H. Curbing Unemployment – Efforts by the Government
Regardless of hearsay and what the media says, the government of Pakistan functions for
the betterment of all citizens.
After coming into power, the previous and present governments had initiated a number of
steps that play a role in their respective domains to compliment the larger macro-
economic progress of the country.
Foremost among the priorities of the government is to control and reduce unemployment.
In this regard, major efforts made by the government both in the recent past and that have
been planned out and being implemented include19:
1. Creation of approximately 3 million jobs from 2007-08 to 2009-2010.
2. Extending pursuit of the Medium Term Development Framework for the period
2005-2010 that oversaw an investment of approximately Rs. 8,000 billion for the
said period thereby speeding up GDP growth and decrease unemployment.
3. Establishment of SME Bank to facilitate budding small and medium enterprises
and entrepreneurs through soft term loans.
4. Offering micro credit facilities e.g. through the Khushali Bank to individuals all
across Pakistan to set up grounds for them to initiate a prosperous livelihood.
5. Re-introducing President’s Rozgar Scheme to encourage the youth to shift from
makeshift and involuntary unemployment to a sustained employment.
6. Creation of Pakistan Skilling Program to tackle Pakistan’s unskilled labor
dilemma through carefully through programs that will impart high standard
vocational and technical education to people so that they may evolve into
competitive labor both for the present and future needs of the country.
7. Setting up of Skill Development Councils at all major cities of Pakistan to assess,
design and re-design special labor skill programs.
8. Opening of new venues for overseas employment especially in South Korea,
Malaysia and Middle-East states.
19
Ministry of Labor and Manpower, http://www.molm.gov.pk/
26
9. Pushing ahead with enhancement and diversification of the information
technology sector specifically in the telecommunication, call-center and software
engineering sectors to tap and polish the IT based human resource of Pakistan.
10. Formation of the Labor Market Information System and Analysis at the Ministry
of Labor that will operate as high quality analytical system for the various
branches of the government and the private sector.
11. Creation of the exclusive think tank of Policy Planning Cell which will function
on the lines of e.g. PILDAT but on a much larger perspective.
12. Acceleration of distribution of agriculture land to landless farmers all over the
country and providing them the opportunity to kick-start their agro endeavors.
13. Implementation of the Benazir Income Support Program which has been hailed as
one of the finest transfer-payment programs the country has ever seen. BISP is
exclusively for the population that lives below the poverty line.
14. Record increase in Public Sector Development Programs because this is one area
that directly translates into creation of employment opportunities.
The devastating floods had thrown a spanner in the works but surprisingly Pakistan had
sustained the shock and the worse-case scenario as predicted by the world and the
economy is slowly coming back on track.
Serious variables like political instability and war against terror, which have and have
been hampering the efforts made by the government, do exist but the laid out plans are
for the long run and consistently implemented by the bureaucracy.
The private sector must come forth and take charge in creating employment opportunities
and it is also ready to so especially in light of the vastly accepted prediction that 2012-13
will be the year for Pakistan to take the leap.
27
I. Facing the Truth
In 2003, a human development report20 on Pakistan had presented an analysis that sums it
all up:
1. One-half of the Pakistanis suffer from deprivation of opportunities in life.
2. Two-third of the adult population cannot read or write.
3. Half the population does not have access to primary health care and safe drinking
water.
4. Poverty shot up to 35% in 1998-99 from 21% in 1990-91.
5. The population of poor is increasing at the rate of 6 million per year according to
the government’s assessment criteria.
6. Pakistani expatriates in the Gulf countries have significantly reduced due to lack
of labor skills with home remittances dropping from $2.5 billion in the early 80s
to approximately $800 million in late 90s.
7. A major disparity exists between supply and demand for skills due to low levels
of education. Literacy ratio of Pakistan is even worse than countries which have a
GNP similar to that of Pakistan.
The report findings are more than 7 years old and over this period the economics of
Pakistan may have advanced, employment trends may have diversified and improved,
new insights may have been discovered through surveys, an all-time comprehensive labor
policy may have been introduced and efforts doubled by the government to tame inflation
and curtail unemployment but at equal pace the truth bared in the said report continues to
exist with improvement if any, hovering near negligibility.
What is then the one solution to it all?
The answer is simpler than one could possibly envisage.
20
The Indian Express, July 19, 2002, Jobs or Jihad - That’s the Question by Shalini Chawla, http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=6224
28
J. The Message from World Bank
Rachid Benmessaoud, the World Bank Country Director for Pakistan says21:
<QUOTE>
“With 29% of Pakistan’s 169 million people in the 15-24 age range, this amounts to a
tremendous education and training challenge…”
<UNQUOTE>
According to the World Bank, the lack of skilled labor force presents a significant
constraint to the country’s growth and competitiveness.
But the bottom line according to the bank is education. It is yet another truth which must
be faced because it in itself is the solution.
Pakistan needs to do the opposite of what’s presented here under:
1. Education accessibility continues to be a daunting challenge in Pakistan.
2. One-fourth of the youth manage to graduate from secondary education
3. Only 4% of the youth seek and acquire higher system.
4. As compared to world standards, the quality of education remains weak at all
levels of education with high a high drop-out ratio.
5. Learning achievements are low and varied in terms of how the students
implement the knowledge in their practical life and govern it.
The status quo will continue if action is not taken because more than three-quarters of
youth leaving the education system with some primary skills and lacking marketable
skills will eventually face extreme difficulties in finding employment.
21
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/PROJECTS/0,,contentMDK:22928038~menuPK:64282138~pagePK:41367~piPK:279616~theSitePK:40941,00.html
29
End of Part 2
Note
To this point, the hard facts that jump-up are poverty and education; the two key
ingredients in the creation of child labor.
The last and forth coming Part 3 will shed light on our main subject together the world
laws, present child labor situation, Pakistan’s official policies, steps taken to eradicate
child labor s eradication and why it continues to exist notably.
The renowned case of Sialkot and Nike will also be presented.
The author has made an effort for the readers to draw conclusion and contemplate on the
subject with neutrality before arriving at the paper’s final recommendations.
30
Part 3
31
Eyes Wide Shut
K. Enter the World of Child Labor
Depending upon the age of a child and nature of labor, which goes beyond a minimum
number of hours and which may prove to be harmful to a child should be abolished22.
This is how UNICEF defines the dilemma and has bifurcated the weekly minimum work
hours versus age groups as below:
a. 5-11 year olds: 1 hour of economic or 28 hours of domestic work.
b. 12-14 year olds: 14 hours of economic or 28 hours of domestic work.
c. 15-17 year olds: 43 hours of economic or domestic work.
ILO presents a similar description by calling child labor abusive; work that threatens the
security and welfare of a child and obstructs the education and natural development of a
child23.
‘Child labor’ should not be confused with ‘youth employment’. Child labor falls under
human rights violation whereas youth employment welcomes young adults in to practical
life and is legitimate the world over.
In short, any work that does not involve hard-toil and that does not hamper the
upbringing of a child viz-a-viz education and right-to-enjoy-childhood is ‘not’ child
labor.
The story does not end here. Such clear definitions and the most comprehensive laws that
UNICEF and ILO – especially exclusive ILO conventions – have spread all over the
world, and rightly so, are miles away from absolute implementation. This is an imperfect
world where we still debate as to why a CEO earns Rs. 500,000 plus perks a month and a
construction worker who toils far more than he could physically sustain makes not more
than Rs. 5,000 a month.
22
http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_childlabour.html 23
http://human-rights.unglobalcompact.org/dilemmas/child-labour/
32
L. ILO Convention No. 182
No. 182 has been ratified by 171 countries. India is not a signatory, however. According
to this convention, persons under 18 years of age are forbidden to engage in certain work
labeled as hazardous i.e. any work that can bring potential harm to the physical and
mental well being of a child. The list of harmful work24 includes:
<QUOTE>
1. Working underground, at dangerous heights or in confined spaces.
2. Working with dangerous equipment, machinery and tools.
3. Work that involves manual handling or transport of heavy burdens.
4. Working under particularly hard conditions including long working hours, night
work and working in isolation.
5. Working in an unhealthy environment. For example children being exposed to
chemical hazards, excessive temperatures or work that involves heavy vibrations.
And the child labor categories25 that demand urgent and immediate action, namely:
1. All forms of slavery, including the trafficking of children, debt bondage, forced
and compulsory labor, and the use of children in armed conflict.
2. The use, procuring or offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of
pornography or for pornographic purposes.
3. The use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular the
production and trafficking of drugs.
4. Work which is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of the child as a
consequence under which is it carried out.
<UNQUOTE>
Ironically, in this age, in Pakistan, if not all then most of these categories and work exist.
24
http://human-rights.unglobalcompact.org/dilemmas/child-labour/ 25
-do-
33
M. The State-of-Affairs
Hazardous work? Urgent and immediate action?
Consider Karachi as an example26 and on any given day visit the narrow lanes of Denso
Hall, Saddar and notice the countless young boys between the ages of 10-15 engaged in
sheer cumbersome labor involving manual handling and transport of heavy burdens.
On any main road, have a look at the scores of boys selling newspapers, flowers and tid-
bits; all of them in the same 10-15 years age group.
The author had the opportunity to conduct two interviews to acquire in-depth
information. According to the Karachi based NGO, Initiator Human Development
Foundation that strives to rehabilitate street children, there are hundreds of under 18
children searching daily through hazardous waste material in the industrial zones; hoping
to find something of value that may fetch a few rupees.
The second feedback was received from an agriculturist based near Hyderabad.
According to the source, handicrafts such as the ajrak and traditional caps are made by
countless young boys and girls – as young as 7 – at confined spaces and at meager wages.
There are under 15 young boys working in the specialized workshops of Plaza, Saddar. A
violation of No. 182 ‘working with dangerous equipment, machinery and tools’.
A boy as young 12-14 years old is bound to be seen at literally every tire-shop. This time
it’s a breach of ‘working for long hours, night work and working in isolation’.
To get a taste of slavery, visit the interior of Punjab especially the areas which are
inaccessible to media and view ‘debt bondage, forced and compulsory labor’.
ILO has put the estimate at 171 million children27 the world over or two-thirds of all
working minors – exposed absolutely to the very wrong kind of work.
26
Personal observation 27
Study from a 2002 survey, http://human-rights.unglobalcompact.org/dilemmas/child-labour/
34
N. The Child Labor Survey of Pakistan 1996
In collaboration with International Labor Organization and International Program on the
Elimination of Child Labor, a child labor survey28 was conducted in 1996 which was later
used as the bench mark to plan and develop multi-dimensional rehabilitation programs
especially the US and German funded IPEC programs. Select excerpts from the survey
are presented here under:
<QUOTE>
1. In Pakistan, child labor is about 3.3 million and about 71% of these children were
engaged in elementary (unskilled) occupations.
2. About 67% of employed children were engaged in the agricultural sector.
3. The data reveal that out of the total 3.3 million employed children, one-third
(33.2%) are literate from the formal system of education.
4. About 39% of working children are members of households with an income range
of Rs.2,501-Rs.4,000; 31% belonging to the Rs.1,501- Rs.2,500 income group;
21% in the Rs.4,001 and above group; and the remaining 9% hailing from the less
than Rs.1,500 income group.
<UNQUOTE>
Clearly, all of the above income groups, even by 1996 standards fall at or below the
poverty line. It is common knowledge that the standard-of-living of the families to which
these children belong has further deteriorated today. The wages may have increased but
now to-make-ends-meet is more than a Herculean task. These figures are staggering and
shocking and the actual picture could safely be assumed as far worse despite than what
the government claims it to be. According to the global report29 under the follow-up to
the ILO declaration on fundamental principles and rights at work of 2010, India and
Pakistan have the largest non-school going child population in the world.
28
http://www.ilo.org/legacy/english/regions/asro/newdelhi/ipec /responses/pakistan/index.htm, (Link to survey summary at bottom of the web page) 29
www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---comm/documents/publication/wcms_126752.pdf
35
O. The Policy Sayeth…
The Labor Policy of Pakistan 2010 specifically talks about Young Persons and Child
Labor in clause 20, 21 and 27.
<QUOTE>
1. Workers between the ages of 14 and less than 18 years will not be engaged in
hazardous working conditions and other working environments that adversely
affect their physical and moral development. They will also be provided greater
access to education and training, particularly training, tailored to identify labor
market needs.
2. Children and young persons will be withdrawn and prevented from hazardous
nature as, for example, mining, tanneries, brick kilns, construction, and glass
bangles etc. Special programs will be designed to focus young domestic workers
employed in private households. Payment of minimum wage will also be ensured
to the young persons.
3. The Government shall take legal as well as other measures to regulate and control
the employment of children in certain occupations and processes considered
hazardous and injurious to their health.
<UNQUOTE>
Pakistan in the recent past had passed legislation30 that also protects children’s rights.
These bills were:
1. The Employment of Children Act (ECA), 1991
2. The Bonded Labor System (Abolition) Act, 1992
3. The Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking Ordinance (2002)
The constitution of Pakistan in its article31 11(3) ‘prohibits employment of children below
the age of 14 years in any factory or mine or any other hazardous employment’.
30
http://www.ilo.org/legacy/english/regions/asro/newdelhi/ipec/responses/pakistan/national.htm 31
-do-
36
Above all, Pakistan is a signatory32 to:
1. ILO Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labor (No. 182);
2. ILO Forced Labor Convention (No. 29);
3. ILO Abolition of Forced Labor Convention (No. 105);
4. UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
According to the US State Department33, Pakistan with its weak law and policy
enforcement suffers harbors 10-11.5 million child laborers in numerous sectors such as
leather tanning, mining, seafood processing, brick-making and carpet weaving.
The primary question then is; has anyone asked the following questions:
1. Why is Pakistan seriously lagging behind in implementation of laws?
2. What precise steps need to be taken to achieve United Nations’ Millennium
Development Goals which also include eradication of child labor and for which
Pakistan keeps extending the deadline?
3. Is there any political or social hindrance?
4. What needs to be done immediately and urgently?
5. Why the issue of child labor is not given the importance it deserves in the media
and by NGOs?
6. Who is responsible for the delays and who has been assigned the task with each
new government?
7. Has a realistic road map been prepared?
8. When will true and concrete steps be taken?
9. Where should it be started from?
10. Is it a lost cause; fighting a loosing battle?
By living in Pakistan and experiencing life in general, instinct says that answers to these
questions may not come easy.
32
http://www.ilo.org/legacy/english/regions/asro/newdelhi/ipec/responses/pakistan/national.htm 33
http://human-rights.unglobalcompact.org/dilemmas/child-labour/
37
P. But Action, There Is…
IPEC, the International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor, operating under ILO
had taken charge after the child labor survey and over the years and painstakingly started
the long journey together with the government of Pakistan to identify, control and then
eliminate child labor.
The government and IPEC know that this task is extremely difficult to achieve especially
in light of Pakistan’s complex socio-economic problems and cultural barriers.
Jim Collins, author of Good to Great had identified a number of steps for an organization
to shift from ordinary to extraordinary. One such step was the ‘crawl, walk, run’
approach. A consistent and focused method of achieving a target34.
Pakistan is also an organization but the Collins’ method will work only if the leadership
vows to go for it; putting it simply.
But at least the first step which often enters into procrastination has been taken. IPEC is
in action in Pakistan.
The ongoing projects35 include:
1. Project to Combat the Worst Forms of Child Labor
2. Combating Child Labor through Education and Training in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
(Phase III in progress)
3. Pakistan Earthquake Child Labor Response Project
4. Football for Hope Project
5. Activating Media in Combating Child Labor (Phase II in progress)
6. Combating Child Labor in the Carpet Industry (Phase III in progress)
34
Good to Great by Jim Collins, Page 163, Chapter 7, 2001, Harper Collins 35
http://www.ilo.org/legacy/english/regions/asro/newdelhi/ipec/responses/pakistan/action.htm
38
The projects concluded by IPEC include:
1. Activating Media in Combating Child Labor
2. Combating Child Labor through Education and Training in the North West
Frontier Province
3. Elimination of Child Labor in the Soccer Ball Industry in Sialkot
4. Combating Hazardous and Exploitative Child Labor in Surgical Instruments
Manufacturing
5. Combating Child Labor in the Carpet Industry
6. Project of Support for the National Time-Bound Program (TBP) to Help
Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor from Pakistan
7. Combating Child Trafficking for Labor and Sexual Exploitation
8. Preventing and Eliminating Exploitative Child Domestic Work in South Asia
So what does the government of Pakistan really need to do?
Will it continue to depend on these foreign aided projects?
Won’t somebody from our ranks come forth?
In the author’s opinion, what’s really required is a ‘don’t-do list’. For example, if one
reads the labor policy then it appears to be as good as the one that’s perhaps enforced in
any advanced economy nation. It’s a great list of things that need to be done but if the
labor ministry secretary, for sheer spirit of bringing change, reads Atul Gawande’s The
Checklist Manifesto36 then in the spirit of reverse-engineering a ‘don’t-do list’ could be
very conveniently prepared that may include something as ‘don’t spend a lot on defense
and dedicate a little bit more for education’.
36
The Checklist Manifesto: How to get things right by Atul Gawande, 2009, Metropolitan Books
39
Q. Just Do It – The Case of Sialkot and Nike
Controversies from the 1970s and 80s resurfaced during the FIFA 2010 World Cup
finals. Young children sewing soccer balls and kicked by players like Beckham was a
picture that world refused to digest.
But Sialkot has a come a long way from the days of absolute glory to the threat of
extinction of this multi-billion dollar industry of Pakistan. Eyebrows are still raised but
the partnership between ILO, FIFA and manufacturers of Sialkot is now generally
regarded as a success story37. However, the struggle is not over yet because the label of
‘child labor free’ certification is yet to assert 100% credibility.
Even though leading manufacturers in Sialkot have literally abolished child labor at their
stitching centers and at those which serve as outsourced units, the world is yet to believe
in Pakistan. Reason? The kinds of credibility Pakistan’s leaders have, courtesy of
Wikileaks, then what could be expected of its citizens? Pakistanis are themselves to be
blamed.
Google ‘Sialkot Child Labor’ and interesting results will be displayed including a hard-
hitting report by China Labor Watch38 which perhaps served another agenda against
Nike. But a neutral discussion is considered in this paper that involves the evolution of
the Sialkot soccer industry and Nike’s initiatives.
Sialkot
At present there are 60-70 soccer ball manufacturers in Sialkot that represent at least 95%
of the total producers.
During the 1970 and 80s, an estimated 7,000 children of under 15 age group were
employed by the soccer ball manufactures in Sialkot. These children used to work both
from home, outsourced stitching centers and at the manufacturer’s own stitching units.
37
http://uk.oneworld.net/guides/childlabour 38
http://www.chinalaborwatch.org/news/new-269.html
40
This eventually turned out to be a thorny dilemma39 when it came into lime light during
the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the 1996 UEFA Championships; Life magazine published
a lead story in June 1996 about a 12 year old boy stitching footballs. Inter-continental
damage was done.
But soon in February 1997, a solution came up that oversaw the removal of children from
production centers and established an independent supervision system. Funded by
UNICEF, US Labor Department, FIFA and the Soccer Industry Council of America, the
Atlanta Agreement between the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce, UNICEF, ILO and the
World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry.
The Atlanta Agreement40 was short and simple:
1. Registration of all contractors, stitchers and stitching facilities
2. Establishment of a monitoring system
3. Agreement to independent monitoring
4. Increase awareness and change attitudes, including income generation
5. Implementation of social protection programs:
a. Education
b. Rehabilitation
c. In-kind assistance
The agreement created an independent monitoring facility which literally operated like
any intelligence agency – and it worked.
With the gradual elimination of child labor, families’ income shrunk and in order to avoid
a fall-out, saving and micro financing schemes were launched. More than 8,000 persons
borrowed more than £1 million to initiate sustenance of small businesses. UNICEF and
Save the Children began program for skill development enhance Sialkot’s education
structure. UK assisted with £1.225 million for alleviation of poverty.
39
http://human-rights.unglobalcompact.org/case_studies/child-labour/child_labour/combating_child_labour_in_football_production.html 40
http://www.imacpak.org/atlanta.htm
41
And when the results came in, for a minute it was hard to believe:
1. More than 6,000 children were removed from the workplace and provided with
access to educational facilities.
2. Over 10,500 children received an education.
3. Health care was provided to 5,400 children.
4. The program reached 1,582 villages, two small towns and the city of Sialkot.
The Sialkot success-story is without doubt a breakthrough in tackling the issue of child
labor and it would not have been possible if all the stakeholders had not taken the joint
initiative.
Nike
But the Sialkot initiative saw 20,000 women loose their jobs; women who had been
employed by Saga Sports, one of the principle suppliers to Nike41. Saga Sports
established a dozen stitching centers to merge scattered production units. This step
ushered in social changes as previously the women employees operated from their
homes; now they could not visit the centers due to social barriers. This was one
unintended consequence of the Atlanta Agreement.
Nike went a step further. It agreed to pay a premium for the footballs in order to support
its investment of setting up eight stitching centers around Sialkot; thereby ensuring that
workers would not have to travel far.
However, in 2006, Nike decided to terminate its contract with Saga Sports. The reason
being that Saga was outsourcing production to facilities not authorized by Nike. This
raised the doubt that it would lead to home operations or child labor. The Atlanta
Agreement was turning out to be the ultimate watch-dog. It was later reported that around
3,000 Saga workers lost their jobs.
Carrot and stick it may seem but was it all worth it?
41
http://human-rights.unglobalcompact.org/case_studies/child-labour/child_labour/combating_child_labour_in_football_production.html
42
In the words of Nike's CEO Mark Parker:
<QUOTE>
“Our decision to resume soccer ball production in Pakistan is the result of extensive
work with stakeholders, based on a collective desire to help move the industry in a more
competitive direction that strongly supports workers’ rights.”
<UNQUOTE>
As mentioned earlier, it’s a matter of credibility of the nation in general.
On June 7, 2010 the International Labor Rights Forum42 had reported that child labor is
still continuing in Sialkot’s football industry.
42
http://www.laborrights.org/
43
R. Win-Win Situation; will there ever be one?
Child labor is not going anywhere from Pakistan. It is an integral part of the larger
Pakistani labor market.
The parents of the children, who work in agriculture, industrial and services sectors, are
fighting a daily war to ‘eat’. They are struggling and often failing in satisfying the very
basic physiological needs as defined by Maslow.
So what does one do? Should the highly advanced economies of the world be listened to
which are oblivious to the living conditions of the poor in Pakistan and merely
emphasizing on the moral ethic that a product should not be produced by a minor?
The moral ethic that is being implemented with extreme difficulty by the government and
accepted with stressful pain by the people?
Almost half the population of Pakistan will never discover the wonders of the path that
Google offers; the population who’s literacy is defined as a person who is able to write
his or her name and be able to read the headlines of a newspaper.
What moral ethics? Which conventions of ILO? What vision of UNICEF?
It’s perhaps the most classic example of a Catch-22 situation.
Jack Welch former CEO of GE had been asked countless times the question ‘what does it
take to win?’43 People had asked him this question with a perspective that they all had
more or less shared. The perspective in Pakistan however, is in complete contradiction.
What does it take to win?
43
Winning by Jack Welch, Page 3, 2005, Harper Collins
44
End of Part 3
Note
Poverty and education continue to create a seal and all efforts with all good intentions
continue to go in vain with perhaps a few moments of achievement.
The two tools of macro economics, fiscal and monetary policies have the power which
our leadership has yet not realized.
Unskilled, illiterate, poor; it’s not an ugly picture. It’s not even a picture in the first place.
Heading towards the end of this paper, the author will highlight the causes of child labor
in conjunction with recommendations and the subsequent conclusion.
45
Even the Root Cause has Roots
In keeping up with the Joneses, Pakistan spends 20% of its expenditure on defense as
compared to 13% by India. Education gets 1% in contrast with India’s 2%. This analysis
was represented the period 1995-2005 according to UNICEF44.
India’s population is more than four-times than that of Pakistan. It has a better
infrastructure and the people are more patriotic. It has a far superior educational system
in terms of all-round standard. India is a member of the BRIC nations, the 3rd largest
economy after China and Japan in Asia; its GDP is far greater than Pakistan’s. It spends
more on PSDPs and less on government expenditure. It has a stable political system; it
had made land reforms during Nehru’s time. India is less corrupt than Pakistan; they
cheat less and its tax system is not regressive. Its people in general live with simplicity.
India also has successfully projected its image all over the world and has no intention
whatsoever of invading and annihilating Pakistan. Then it’s no matter of pride that
Pakistan spends 6 times more than India on defense or a matter of consolation that the
difference between education spending is only 1%.
India may have more poor; it also has child labor issues; it has social issues such as the
caste system and dowry; it also has cleanliness problems but then it also has less
unemployment than Pakistan. India also has price stability. It has strong institutions and
systems that even ensure its poor to have a slightly elevated standard-of-living than the
poor of Pakistan. However, all socio-economic classes of Pakistan and not just the poor
and except the privileged are deeply entangled in false pretensions that create multiple
problems ranging from economic dilemmas to mental blocks.
A more recent survey45 reported that Pakistan and Bangladesh spend around 2.7% of their
national income on education but Bangladesh has an education standard that’s much
higher than Pakistan’s and also has a high-level literacy ratio in excess of 85%.
44
Global Report 2010, http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_126752.pdf 45
Global Employment Trends 2011, http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@dgreports/@dcomm/@publ/documents/publication/wcms_150440.pdf
46
What’s the bottom line then?
Education.
This leads to poverty and a mutation of the basic mindset of a human being. Lack of, sub-
standard or partial education in Pakistan is the key to a whole lot of socio-economic
issues. No doubt, child labor has a direct relationship with inaccessible or ignored
education which is due to poverty.
Poverty is a crucial link. People living in poverty are more or less engaged in low-
productivity jobs46. So what do they do about it? The answer’s quite simple; the larger the
family, the more the income generation.
Generally speaking, people in Pakistan, especially the ones living at and below the
poverty line bear the cost of healthcare by up to 80% and are deprived of all tax funded or
insurance based medical benefits47. So where does the extra income come from? How
will extra income be part of the household? Again, let there be no free-loaders; the more
the children, the better for the family.
Realistically contemplating, if it’s a showdown between education and health then no
prizes there to guess the winner. The psychology of the poor has to be understood which
primarily revolves around the simple notion of ‘how do I eat today?’
If the government of Pakistan does not prioritize its PSDPs and continues to ignore
education then the problem of child care could not be overcome. There’s no other way to
materialize the talks of increased quality human capital and higher productivity.
There’s a saying in Pakistan that if everybody pays the due zakat then there wouldn’t be
any poverty. Same applies on tax; does anyone pay it except for the on-source deduction
of the salaried people? Similarly, the transfer payments; something far more effective and
efficient is required instead of the Benazir Income Support Program.
46
Global Employment Trends 2011, http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@dgreports/@dcomm/@publ/documents/publication/wcms_150440.pdf 47
World Social Security Report 2011, http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@dgreports/@dcomm/@publ/documents/publication/wcms_146566.pdf
47
The child labor survey of Pakistan in 1996 had hit the bull’s eye with its findings48 and
explained the causes of child labor:
<QUOTE>
1. Large population with high population growth rate;
2. Almost three-fourths (70 per cent) of the total population living in rural areas,
with subsistence agricultural activities;
3. Low productivity and prevalence of poverty;
4. Unpaid family helpers, especially in agricultural activities;
5. Discriminating social attitude towards girls and women;
6. Inadequate educational facilities.
<UNQUOTE>
If the government has paid heed and initiated programs to tackle these findings then the
results will start coming in after next general elections; five years were sufficient. But if
that doesn’t happen then it means that some far critical problem overshadowed the one
under discussion.
If there are positive results anywhere then they are not tangible and neither do the media
know about it. A smattering of good deeds is not what Pakistan ‘now’ demands.
No security of social life, double standards in education, unemployment, irregular wealth
distribution, bonded slavery and age-old social customs all form a cohesive force and
push the young children each day in Pakistan towards labor for wages.
The status-quo will flourish if parents continue to deprive children, especially girls from
education by not giving it importance or priority.
The small scale employers will continue to hire ‘cheap’ and ‘flexible’ labor. They have a
mindset of their own. Not every company is a Nike that can financially motivate.
48
http://www.ilo.org/legacy/english/regions/asro/newdelhi/ipec/responses/pakistan/index.htm
48
Recommendation & Conclusion
Somebody once wrote on his status of Face Book:
Islamic Republic of Denial
A lot comes into mind when you read this. All the rights and wrongs battle-out in the
mind, eventually leading to despair.
Hope is always there because a solution is exists.
Originally, the title of this part of the paper read ‘recommendations’. The s was removed
because there is only one recommendation.
It’s quite easy to say that focused action should be taken that can reverse the serious
causes of child labor. The author could have listed all such actions but hasn’t. All and
sundry know it well and believe in these actions for they have been talked about much. It
requires a special kind of leadership to take the first step.
That’s it. That’s all there is to it. Leadership.
And which will be the first step? Bring in land reforms that include agriculture tax.
Subsequently, the feudal system will die its own death thereby leading to the crash of
prevailing structure in Pakistan. Everything else will then fall down into its rightful place.
But where will the leadership come from?
Until this question is answered, the republic will continue to dream in denial.
49
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